Page 44 - Living Light 89

Wednesday July 16 - Jesus hears your cry
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man,
“Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Mark 10:49
We saw yesterday that many in the crowd despised Bartimaeus and rebuked him, but he was tenacious in his request to meet Jesus. Most of us, in the face of such negative attitudes and pressure from the crowd, would have slunk away and given up hope. But Bartimaeus would not be silenced, because he knew that the Galilean preacher was like no other rabbi. In ‘Straight to the heart of Mark’ Phil Moore writes: ‘Bartimaeus persists because he knows his only comfort lies in the heart of God. He refuses to believe that the harsh response of those who follow Jesus is a true reflection of the heart of God towards him. He shouts all the more loudly, not caring if people hate him, just so long as Jesus shows him that he loves him. His faith is rewarded. The crowd suddenly tell him, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”’
Put yourself in Bartimaeus’ place. If someone told you that Jesus, the Son of God, was asking you to go to him, what would your thoughts and feelings be? In this scenario, you would have been among lots of people and Jesus could have chosen anyone; but the truth is he heard your cry and wanted to meet you face to face! During the remaining few days, we will see how Bartimaeus responds to Jesus, and spend time thinking about what we can learn from him.
Lord, I pray that if others look down on me for following you, I will trust you even more. Amen.
Thursday July 17 - The cost of discipleship
Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus
Mark 10:50
Once Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was calling him, he quickly threw off his cloak and hurried to Jesus. Some may wonder why a beggar would throw off his coat, which was his only asset and means of protection from the elements. As a blind man, he would never find his coat again – it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack! What was Bartimaeus thinking? If you were him, would you have impulsively done that? Perhaps you’d have expected Jesus to approach you instead?
In this one act, we see the faith and priorities of Bartimaeus – unafraid to let go of what little he had in order to prioritise being in the presence of Jesus. Sadly, most of us hold tightly to what we have and idolise material possessions. Think of the account of the rich man in Mark 10:17-31, the heading of which, in the TLV Bible, is ‘The cost of discipleship’. In summary, a rich man kept the commandments and was doing what most would describe as ‘honourable’, but Jesus said: “Go, sell as much as you have, and give to the poor... Then come, follow me” (Mark 10:21, TLV). All of us need challenging about letting go of our ‘idols’ and focusing completely on Jesus. Take some time to think and pray about what to let go of in your life, be it material or otherwise.
Lord Jesus, I ask that you would show me what I need to lay down in my life. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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PRAYER FOR TODAY